Pacifica Airlines
NOTE: This article is incomplete. Do not edit anything unless it is a typo. History Pacifica Airlines was founded on 6 April, 1952, in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline commenced operations on 25 July, 1953, operating 6 Lockheed L109 Constellations and 5 Douglas DC-7s. Pacifica offered low-cost charter flights to destinations such as New Orleans and Indianapolis. In 1958, the airline received its first jet-powered aircraft, a Boeing 707. The aircraft was received with a ceremony and was a historical milestone in the airline's early history. Following the commencement of commercial flights offered by Orbit Airlines in the 1960's, Pacifica began offering flights to Miami and Charleston, operating the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-7. However, there was high demand on these routes, which led the airline to place orders for newer aircraft such as the Boeing 727 and Douglas DC-8. Pacifica received their first DC-8 on 7 September, 1964, and their first 727 on 16 December, 1964. In 1965, Pacifica started operating seasonal flights to Tampa, Orlando, and Charleston, using their brand new fleet of Boeing 727s. In 1969, Pacifica formed a codeshare agreement with Nashville-based carrier Gaia Airways and began operating regular nonstop flights from Atlanta to Nashville, which was operated by Pacifica's fleet of Douglas DC-8s and Gaia's fleet of Boeing 707s and Lockheed L-188 Electras. By the 1970's, Pacifica had retired their propeller-driven aircraft, which were being replaced by newer, faster jet aircraft with longer ranges. In 1971, Pacifica placed orders for the new Boeing 737 to compete with other airlines on short and medium-haul routes. In 1972, the airline made plans to begin transcontinental and international flights and, thus, placed orders for bigger aircraft such as the Lockheed L-1011, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Boeing 747. The first 2 737s arrived in February 1971. Pacifica started operating these aircraft on the now-popular Atlanta-Tampa route alongside their Boeing 727s. The airline received its first 5 L-1011s in 1973 and debuted the aircraft on the airline's new Atlanta-Dallas and Atlanta-St. Louis routes. The airline received its first DC-10 in May 1973 and its first 747 in August 1973. In 1974, Pacifica started offering holiday flights to destinations such as Mexico City and Tijuana, which were operated by the DC-10 and L-1011, respectively. The airline's first intercontinental flight took place on 4 June, 1975, operating a Boeing 747-100 on a flight from Miami International Airport to Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France. The flight, operating as Pacifica Flight 67 and carrying 370 passengers, was greeted in Paris with a celebration and champagne was sprayed on the aircraft. In 1977, the airline established new hubs throughout the continental United States, such as Dallas, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Newark. The airline also established other North American hubs such as Mexico City, Toronto, and Ontario. In 1978, Pacifica broke their codeshare agreement with Gaia and began retiring their fleet of Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s. In 1979, the airline placed orders for the Douglas DC-9, Boeing 737-200, 747-200, 757-200, and Airbus A310. The first several of these aircraft were received in late 1979 and early 1980. By 1980, Pacifica had a massive fleet and an estimated rate of about 250,000 passengers per year and climbing. Because of the increasing demand, more orders for more aircraft were being placed every month. In October 1980, Pacifica established regional subsidiary Pacifica Express, which commenced operations on 21 March, 1981. The regional airline leased 7 de Havilland Dash 8s from American Pacific Airlines and began operating flights to Charleston, Raleigh, and west Palm Beach. In April 1982, The airline received its first Boeing 737-300, which began operating flights to Denver. In 1985, Pacifica unveiled a new livery on their Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft, which consisted of a blue paint scheme with a black and navy blue cheatline, and the airline's signature "vortex" logo on the tail. To compete with other mainstream airlines such as Orbit Airlines and World Travel Airways on international routes, in 1986, orders were placed for the Boeing 747-400, the first of which was received in January 1987. For medium-haul routes, orders were placed for the Boeing 767-200, the first of which was received in 1988. That same year, the airline began phasing out older planes such as the Boeing 727, 737-200, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10. In 1989, Pacifica began operating the Boeing 747-400 on flights to Asia from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and its newest hub in Honolulu. The airline's biggest blow came in 1991 following a deadly runway collision between two 747s at San Francisco International Airport that killed 386 people. Pacifica Flight 141 collided with Orbit Airlines Flight 47 in bad weather at SFO. Following that incident, Pacifica Airlines experienced a sharp drop in passenger count and revenue. This severe drop in customers led the airline to drastically cut costs on flights and increase crew and employee training. In 1992, Pacifica completely retired their Boeing 727 and 737-200 fleets. The airline also began phasing out their fleets of Airbus A300 and Boeing 747-100 aircraft. By May 1993, the airline had recovered from financial loss incurred by the 1991 disaster. That same year, orders were placed for the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series, Airbus A320, Boeing 737-400, and Boeing 767-300. Pacifica Express also began placing orders for the Saab 340, Embraer 120, and Bombardier CRJ200. In January 1993, Pacifica Express was renamed Pacifica Shuttle and began offering services to Sacramento, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, via Dallas, Denver, Boise, and Salt Lake City. These routes were operated by the airline's new fleets of Saab 340, Embraer 120, and Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft. Pacifica's first Airbus A320 was received on 23 August, 1993. The airline's first Boeing 767-300 was delivered on 8 March, 1994. In 1997, the airline placed orders for the Boeing 737-500 and 737-700. Pacifica also decided to introduce a new livery. The new livery, called "Tropical Rush", consisted of a white paint with green lines, a green tail with a sun, and on select aircraft, a black nose. In 1999, the first 3 737-500s and 737-700s were delivered to the airline. The new livery was unveiled on these aircraft, as well as the Airbus A320 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80. In 1998, Pacifica Shuttle was renamed Pacifica Regional. The same year, Pacifica began flying international routes to new hubs established in Central and South America and Europe, using their fleets of Boeing 747, 757, and 767 aircraft. Because the demand on trans-European routes was considerably high, the airline placed orders for the recently introduced Boeing 777. Orders were also placed for extended-range (ER) versions of the Boeing 757-300, 767-200 and 767-300. These aircraft were delivered throughout 1998 and 1999. That same year, Pacifica retired their fleets of Boeing 737-300, 737-400, 747-200, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10, as they were being replaced with the newer aircraft. In March 1999, the airline suffered another hit when 400 Pacifica employees went on strike, demanding higher pay for longer hours and more benefits. As a result, employees started resigning from Pacifica until the airline could beef up profit and satisfy the needs of its employees. In 2000, to celebrate the millennium, Pacifica painted one of each aircraft in their fleet in a special "Tropical 2000" livery. Throughout the year, the airline offered flights to, from, and within North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In July 2000, Pacifica Regional placed orders for the Bombardier CRJ700, which were delivered throughout 2001 and 2002 and became popular with pilots and passengers alike. Due to its popularity with the airline, as of May 2017, as many as 65 aircraft are currently operating In June 2003, it was announced that Pacifica would form a codeshare agreement with London-based Windsor Airlines and start offering flights in between the United States, Great Britain, and all territories associated with these countries. The agreement was officially made in November 2003, and several Pacifica employees were sent to London , where they were stationed at Windsor Airlines' headquarters. Several employees of Windsor also were stationed at Pacifica's headquarters in Atlanta. Because of higher demand following the Pacifica-Windsor codeshare agreement, in April 2004, Pacifica placed orders for bigger and newer aircraft such as the Airbus A321, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, and Boeing 737-800. These aircraft were all delivered throughout the period from 2004-2009. In 2006, Pacifica introduced a new livery. Dubbed "Sunset", the livery consists of a white rear half of fuselage with a gold metallic front half, separated by a red borderline. Pacifica broke their codeshare agreement with Windsor Airlines in August 2010, but continued to independently operate transatlantic flights between the US and Great Britain. Also in 2010, orders were placed for the Boeing 737-900, which were delivered in 2011. In 2012, Pacifica began offering holiday and promotional flights to the Bahamas and the Antilles. As of September 2017, the airline has been rated the third most popular mainstream domestic carrier behind Orbit Airlines and World Travel Airways. Fleet ''Mainstream Airbus A320 (41) Airbus A321 (33) Airbus A330 (24) Boeing 737-500 (25, retirement expected to begin March 2018) Boeing 737-700 (64) Boeing 737-800 (55) Boeing 737-900 (38) Boeing 737MAX7 (3, currently on order) Boeing 737MAX8 (18, currently on order) Boeing 747-400 (31) Boeing 757-200 (26) Boeing 757-300 (27, 12 ER) Boeing 767-300 (30, 17 ER) Boeing 777-200 (22, 10 ER) Boeing 787-9 (On order, deliveries expected to begin June 2018) McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (40) McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (37) McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (52) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (30) McDonnell Douglas MD-90 (23) ''Regional Bombardier CRJ200 (25) Bombardier CRJ700 (67) Bombardier CRJ900 (42) Bombardier CS100 (12, currently on order) Bombardier Q400 (28) Embraer ERJ145 (26) Embraer E190 (34) Saab 340 (17) ''Former'' Airbus A300 Boeing 707 Boeing 727 Boeing 737-200 Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737-400 Boeing 747-100 Boeing 747-200 Douglas DC-7 Douglas DC-8 Embraer 120 Brasilia Lockheed L-049 Constellation Lockheed L-188 Electra (Leased from Gaia Airlines) Lockheed L-1011 TriStar McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 Accidents and Incidents Category:Airliners